Ichtegems Oud Bruin

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Bottle. Red brown colour with a beige head. Fruity, wood, sour aroma and taste. Medium body with a dry sour finish.

From the kinda old looking bottle this pours a very nice clear mahogany with a fizzy fast falling white head. This brew was way to sweet for my tastes and with the acidity kinda hurt my gut. Plum and cherry show in the sweetness, but it was just a bit to much.

Based on the place I bought this I have to belive this beer has a good number of years on it. Poured a clear dark amber with a red tint and a thin off-white head. Yeast chunks started falling into the glass with still a fair amount of beer left in the bottle. The aroma is tart, sweet and a little fruity but otherwise not much going on. The flavor is tart and actually tasty but for about two seconds. Then everything fades away leaving nothing in the mouth other than a hint of wood. Dry and very short on flavor.

Draught from The Beer Weekend, Brussels. Thought I’d give it a try, as I’m on the oud bruin tip at the mo, but was not impressed. Reddish brown with a fluffy off white head. Smelled cheesy with notes of malt and brown sugar. Medium bodied with a taste and texture like cough syrup. Sweet at first but becomes watery and washes out, oddly unbalanced.

A Mes rate: Little 25cl bottle that Sim purchased in Ghent. Now THAT’S and aroma! A full on nasal assault. It’s old, it’s brown, there is demerara sugar and some oranges too. Also some faint vine like stuff happening with just a tinge of alcohol creeping in at the sides. A mild fishy note too. Complex look. Appearance is dark muddy brown with a great looking head. The flavour however is not in the same league. Wine like to start and some extra oaky aged stuff to follow. There is a kick of sweetness just before the finish which immediately becomes bitter and alcoholic.

Bottle. Weak, malty, fruity aroma. Clear brown colour. Quite stable, light brown head. The flavour is quite malty and sugary. Not very sour, but has a bit of a rough bitterness. Too sugary, but better than most oud bruins.

25 cl bottle. Reddish brown with a decent, creamy off-white head. Sweet and sour aroma with a lot of fruit. Sweet and sour fruit throughout with a good dryness towards the finish. Also some caramel. Well-carbonated and full-bodied. An interesting Oudenaards bruin style ale.

Bottled. Amber beer with a dark beige head. Pleasant, weak aroma that is mostly malty. Sweet flavor with very little sourness. Some hops. Full bodied beer with a bitter finish. Not exactly what I expected, but pleasant. (0603228)